


To Define is to Limit

by VeeBeeTea



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible smut, Unrequited Love, dreamnotfound, karlnap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:08:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeeBeeTea/pseuds/VeeBeeTea
Summary: Karl knows what love is through the textbook. Then he meets Sapnap. From there, who knows.High School AUThis piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 101
Kudos: 422





	1. Clouded Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> It is not my intention to make any creator mentioned uncomfortable. If any of these creators express any discomfort with the idea of fanfiction or otherwise, I will respectfully take this fic down. Thank you!
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

If someone were to ask Karl Jacobs what love is, he could list all tropes known to literature. The love triangle, the fake relationship, the enemies to lovers, the childhood friends; all of which are novel worthy and rather fictional. He could tell the Webster definition of love, including the other eight listed on there, one of which mentions tennis. He knows a bit about tennis. Karl could even illustrate the chemical composition of love, where it can be manufactured in any lab, however an overdose on the combination of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin can lead to literal insanity. The point is, he likes to think he knows what love is. 

He is, as his closest friends George and Niki would say, a textbook. He’s the typical smart kid with a SAT score that’ll send him to any Ivy League. He spends his days reading up on the latest research article on ScienceDirect. Monday’s paper involved climate models and whether or not they support current migration, not that anyone would ask, but if they did, he knew about it. However, as much of a “nerd” he may seem, George and Niki would also mention that he’s talented in the arts department. He knows music theory down to the T. He even shares a name with one of the most defined theorists out there, Karlheinz Stockhausen. His hands are graced with the ability to play nearly any instrument he can get his hands on, despite never having the time or room to take a band class. He’s self taught, much like everything else he knows. But that’s besides the point.

It’s a Tuesday morning and Karl Jacobs is currently shoulder to shoulder with two bickering nimrods.

“I mean, if someone sent me a handwritten letter out of recycled paper and sealed it with wax, I’d be floating on a cloud, but here you are complaining,” George says with a scoff. 

George and Niki had been arguing back and forth over a certain love letter Niki had received in her locker yesterday. It was from none other than Mr. Wilbur Soot, who was arguably the embodiment of the word indie. 

Niki rolls her eyes and answers back, “He does this for every girl he sets his eyes on, I’d be better off getting a text asking me to send nudes.”

Karl giggles, he wouldn’t know what that’s like, but he can only assume that this is the only time it would be acceptable to receive one. The three of them cut the corner to the main hall. 

“The next time you get a dick pic, you better call me shouting with joy as if it were Christmas morning,” George teases before stopping at his locker.

Karl waves him goodbye as Niki mumbles an insult under her breath. It never bothered him that they were always arguing over something, in fact, he found it rather entertaining. It brought excitement to his groggy mornings. The two of them continue making their way down the hallway, weaving through other students.

“He’s just mad that he isn’t living the Victorian dream,” Karl compensates, seeing as Niki still had her arms crossed. 

“Okay, but he’s snapping the football captain. What a tragedy,” Niki groans.

Karl shushes her and looks around to see if anyone has heard. They were supposed to keep that private knowledge a secret - in fact, they weren’t supposed to know, but any secret to one was extended to the three. The man they speak of was rather popular among the student body, however, Karl had not a clue of what he looked like, so he’d rather play it safe.

“Keep your voice down,” Karl scolds. Niki presses her lips into a thin line.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just a shame he moved from Britain, is it too late to send him back?” They’ve made it to their lockers now; they’re side by side unlike George’s. Karl shoots her a look mimicking a motherly tone as he opens his locker and slips his bag off his shoulders, “His return date was a year ago, sorry.”

George had only recently become their friends, however, he grew onto them fairly quickly as Karl considers him to be one of his bestest friends, not that he had many, but still. Niki on the other hand, has known Karl since their wee years. As Niki would point out, she knew him before Karl even knew himself, and as little as that makes sense, Karl understood.

He’s grabbing his books when Niki nudges him. Using his wrist to adjust his glasses, he notices two men make their way down the hall. His eyes fall on the blonde one. He wears his varsity jacket proudly along with his smile. A pep in his step, and a gallon jug of water in his hand, Karl’s pretty sure this is the culprit to the snapchat scandal. To his interest, though, Karl has his eyes on the other. To the man’s left is a shorter, brunette boy. His jacket is draped over his shoulder, barely hanging on, revealing a navy blue sweater with a white collared shirt underneath. His shoulders are laid back, and his eyes are engaged with the conversation at hand between the two of them. He’s closer to Karl and Niki’s side, and Karl could ever so faintly smell the brunette’s cologne. They finally pass by, but Karl’s still following them until they’re out of sight.

“That’s…” Karl trails off, wanting Niki to confirm his suspicion.

“Dream and Sapnap. More importantly, the one George is snapping is the blonde one.” She explains.

Clay, or more commonly known as his nickname Dream, is the captain of the school’s all star football team. He’s the one who George managed to get his snap after the game last Friday. How he did it, Karl will never know, but what mattered was that George got it and had been constantly in conversation with him. To Dream’s dismay, George was asked to keep the exchange a secret. However, as Karl and Niki knew, this wasn’t a secret to them.

“Dream and who?” Karl asks, not knowing the latter.

Niki shuts her locker, “Sapnap. You know, his best friend? George told us this, they’re practically attached at the hip.” 

What George failed to mention was the fact that this Sapnap was… was something else. Karl didn’t know if it was the cologne or the sense of style opposing typical jockwear that caught his interest, but whatever it was, it made Karl’s heartbeat heighten a tad bit more. Before Karl could go more into thought about this “Sapnap”, the bell rings, signaling that there was a minute before they’d be counted late.

Snatching the books he needed, he shuts his locker and speedwalks with Niki to their first block. He’s convinced the sudden racing of his heart was from the fear of being late to class, but when he makes it to class and slips into his desk, he can’t help but wonder about Sapnap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter’s always the toughest. It’ll get better, I promise! Constructive criticism is always welcomed :)


	2. Spontaneity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // None
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

Eventually, the newly drawn pile of research papers, essays, and a project consumed Karl’s mind. His planner had been filled to the brim with a never ending to-do list, and even with the addition of a sticky note and scrunched up writing, there was still so much of the day left. 

That didn’t bother him though. If anything, it excites him. It made his solemn days feel productive, and that made Karl happy.

With his pen, he quickly jots down his project’s due date and roughly sketches a plan on when to work on it. He was good at that too, actually planning. 

His teacher continues to go on about the project. Apparently it was going to be their last before the midterm. Students around him groan at the mention of a midterm. As much as Karl appreciated the concept of chemistry, he too wasn’t thrilled about a midterm. 

He’ll have to pick out a date to focus on chemistry. Not that he absolutely needed to, his ability to retain information was incredible, but because part of his midterm went past the paper and into a whole lab. Now that’s where Karl had to read up on.

Before she can finish, the teacher’s interrupted by the bell. Those around him were already packed up and had gone within a blink of an eye. He was also eager to leave and join his friends at lunch, but he lost track of the time. Shoving his stuff in his bag, he greets his teacher a good day before leaving class. Lunch was arguably one of his favorite periods of the day, only trailing second to his ultimate pleasure, study hall. 

None of his friends were on this hall, so Karl walks alone alongside others who didn’t burst out of class. Turning in to the lunch hall, he’s thinking about what he had to do for the day. With that in mind, he reaches for his planner in his back pocket. 

Patting the back of his jeans, all he can feel is his cellphone. He tries the other pocket, nothing. At that point he stops in the middle of the hall and feels his front pockets just in case, but alas, nothing.

Of course, in his rush to get to lunch, he forgot the manual to his life in third period. Karl spins on his feet and with that he’s sent back to where he came from. He mentally curses, and groans in response to having to return. At this point, the halls have cleared out.

He’s ready to apologize to his teacher when he swings back into class, but doesn’t when a certain sweater boy was sitting on his desk with Karl’s planner in his hands. 

“Karl! We were just talking about you.” His teacher exclaims with a grin. 

Karl immediately recognizes the boy from this morning. He was fingering through the pages, quietly skimming through weeks worth of Karl’s plans; all of which revolved around school and the occasional family dinner.

“Oh! Uh, sorry, I left my,” he makes eye contact with Sapnap, “planner. My planner.”

Sapnap extends his hand out to Karl, handing him the thick book. 

“For you,” he says. His voice is quiet but confident.

Karl notices the callouses on Sapnap’s hand, and more importantly, the ring that adorned it. It was a simple, silver band with some sort of engraving. He isn’t able to read it while taking his planner, but it catches his attention, 

“Uh- Thanks,” Karl says warily. He looks at his teacher in permission to leave, but she says nothing. The silence between the three makes the tension grow. Waiting for a response, Sapnap’s now looking at him as well. A moment passes by and Karl realizes he is to let himself out.

He mumbles a quick bye before hurrying out of the classroom. To say that was awkward was an understatement.

While leaving, he faintly hears his teacher mention his name again and then trail off. He can’t help but think about what they were talking about beforehand. Why were they talking about him? What was so interesting about Karl Jacobs?

He shakes those thoughts out of his head. What use was it to worry about something as measly as himself? Besides, he was probably making something out of nothing. 

Making it to lunch, he sits beside George who is in midst of conversation. 

Realizing his friend had finally made it to lunch, George gasps, “And where were you? You’re missing my story!”

He opens his bag to grab his lunch box, “I forgot my planner in third period.”

George rolls his eyes, “You can’t go one minute without that dreaded book.” 

Karl only shrugs and begins to eat his turkey sandwich, leaving the planner next to his lunch box.

Niki stabs her salad with a fork and begins to explain the story at hand.

“Apparently a certain someone asked George out on a date at the end of second period.” 

Karl’s eyes widen and in his shock, he chokes, sending him into a coughing fit with multiple people staring at him. George hands him his water bottle and pats his back, meanwhile shooting glares at those gawking at his friend.

“Sorry, sorry- he did what?” Karl manages to get out.

“Could you be anymore obvious, Jacobs?” George groans in a low voice. Karl coughs.

He continues, “He cornered me after class in the men’s restroom, held a knife to my throat, and forced me to accept his invitation to dinner” 

Karl whacks him, “Seriously, did you say yes?” 

It felt so fast to Karl, but he wouldn’t know what was fast and wasn’t in the dating world.

“Of course he said yes, you think he was gonna risk his life saying no?” Niki jokes.

Karl shakes his head, now taking another bite of his sandwich, “Well I’m happy for you. You’ll have to tell us all about it”

George rubs the back of his neck, “About that…”

Karl can only help but swallow and roll his eyes. He could already tell that George needed something from him.

George grabs a hold of one of his hands, “Pretty please, will you come with me?” 

Niki giggles, taking a sip of her tea and leaning back in her chair. She seems to be enjoying herself.

Karl waves off George‘s grip, “I am not third wheeling your date.” 

Only George would ask Karl to be his plus one to a date with the captain of the football team. With midterms coming up and the stack of work piling, he can’t fit an appointment with George until the semester’s over, or so he wanted to say.

“Pleeeeease, Niki already said no, and you owe me.” George whines, not letting up just yet.

Niki wipes her fingers on one of Karl’s napkins and smiles at him. 

“You owe _me_ if anything, and why can’t she go? She’s a better wing woman,” Karl proposed.

“Because Niki is going to be out of town this weekend. Besides,” George grabs Karl’s planner from the table, “it says you are available Saturday from 7-8,” he says smugly,

Karl snatches his planner and he can’t help but look for himself. George was right, there wasn’t anything planned for that timeframe on Saturday, but that didn’t mean something else would.

“It’s only Tuesday, something could come up between now and then,” Karl lies.

With his luck, nothing would fill up Saturday, and as much as George is in debt to Karl, both financially and otherwise, Karl can’t deny a friend in need of help. That won’t stop him from negotiating terms that didn’t involve him sitting in on their date, however. 

“And if something doesn’t… could you come?” George begs, his eyes glossy with aid.

Karl sighs. He can’t say no.

“Maybe. If I do, I’m not eating with you.”

“Fine… you could be a spy! A spy on the inside!” George jumps in his seat, proud of himself that he came up with the idea.

Niki laughs at the outburst, “then it’s settled. Karl’s going to spy on your date.” 

Karl interjects, “Hey, I never said I would. I said, maybe. I’ll have to think about it,” 

She waves her hand at him and zips her lunch bag, “He’s coming.”

They continue talking, now changing the subject to Niki’s family trip this upcoming weekend.

Niki and George dominate the conversation while Karl just listens. It tends to be this way, but that’s what made him a good listener. Besides, carrying a conversation made him nervous; he wasn’t nearly as funny as George or as interesting as Niki.

They’re complaining about how bad the traffic will be when Karl opens his planner to this week. He traces the Saturday box. Maybe it was time to make some changes to his normal routine. Spying on a date was a new one.

He pens down,

_George’s Date @ 7_

What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s getting there, it’s getting there. Let me know what you guys think! :)


	3. Novelty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Mention of physical violence 
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

_A lot._

_A lot_ could go wrong. 

It was Friday afternoon now, and George, Niki, and Karl were going over the game plan for tomorrow’s mission in Karl’s bedroom.

“What if I get caught, then what?” Karl probes.

“Then you get caught,” George replies, taking a sip from his mug of warm, earl grey tea.

Karl groans and slumps in his desk chair, “So when Dream threatens to pound my face in-“

“Hey, he’s not like that,” George cuts him off, “I’ll have you know he’s a peach.”

Niki scoffs, “Yeah a peach who can definitely knock the living shit out of twigs for bones over here.”

She isn’t wrong. Karl didn’t have an ounce of muscle on him, and compared to a football captain, Karl would stand no chance against a brute. 

With a huff, George puts down his tea.

“You don’t know what he’s like,” he counters.

“Exactly! So who’s to say he won’t threaten him,” Niki reasons, backing up Karl.

He wants to believe George in that Dream was a nice man, but he’s read too many books where the jock had a tendency to bash skulls in. Perhaps it was cliche and highly unlikely, and as much as he doesn’t want to make assumptions about someone he’s never met, he can’t help but fear the unknown.

George pauses for a moment. He’s got this look on his face, where his eyes are slightly squinted and his lips scrunch to one side of this face. 

Tapping his foot, he suggests, “Well since you don’t know him… how about we meet him?”

Karl scrunches his nose, “And when could we do that?”

Niki, who’s sitting on Karl’s bed, leans forward and rests her chin in her hands with her knees supporting her elbows. She seems intrigued.

George crosses his legs, “There _is_ a game tonight…” 

Karl’s never been to a football game, let alone know how the game even works. His dad has tried to explain the rules of the game before in the past, but it never made sense to Karl. 

Niki chimes in, “That actually works out.” 

Karl glances at her, and she elborates, “We go to the game, you go down to meet him, and we follow shortly thereafter. From there you just introduce us as your friends.” 

In his mind, it made some sense. All they would have to do is arrive looking for George down by the field. They wouldn’t have to expose the fact that they knew the secret either, it was as simple as meeting someone on the account of encounterment.

“Niki you leave in the morning, right?” Karl asks. She nods, and George claps his hands.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll go to the game tonight. I’ll text Dream and tell him I’m coming with a few friends so he’s prepared to meet me afterwards.”

From there, Niki and George left Karl’s place to get ready for the evening’s event. It was about four thirty and he would have to leave for the game at about six thirty, leaving him two hours to prepare. 

For starters, he didn’t know what people wore to football games. So the first thing he did was look up on Google, ‘what to wear to a football game’. He got plenty of results for what one would wear if they had some sort of fashion sense, which was quite opposite of Karl Jacobs.

His closet contains plenty of khakis and button up shirts, with the occasional t-shirts George bought him to spice up his closet. To the right were pairs of jeans and behind those, sweaters and jackets. Karl continued to scroll. 

What he gathered was that a common theme was layers, and since it was going to be cold tonight, he figured that would be the best way to go. Searching through his closet, he thumbed through his sweaters. 

As he skimmed, he pulled and laid different combinations on his bed. This was probably the most thought he had ever put in an outfit, and part of him didn’t even know why he was so worried.

Perhaps he wanted to leave a good impression on George’s possible future boyfriend, but even then, what would it matter if Karl had a good sense of fashion? Or maybe he didn’t want to look like a fool at the game showing up in his usual attire. For as independent Karl is, he sure got nervous about what other people thought of him.

He looked at his bed. On it were two different choices, along with other articles of clothing he declared wouldn’t work tossed about his sheets.

He had tried to pair a sweater and collared shirt together, like he saw on Tuesday. Karl would never admit it to his friends, much less himself, but every now and then, he would think about Sapnap. 

He would replay that moment in the classroom, where he had sat down and looked through his prized possession. Karl would rarely let anyone hold his planner, mostly in fear that the ink inside would smudge or the corners of the pages would rip. 

Interrupting his thoughts, a few knocks were heard from his door.

“Come in!” He shouts loud enough for the person on the other side to hear. 

His mother opens the door and leans against it, “When did Niki and George leave? I thought they were spending the night?” 

In his state of worry for his appearance, he had forgotten to notify his mom of the change in plans.

“We’re actually planning on going to the football game tonight,” Karl admits, now looking at her instead of the mess on his bed. 

She raises an eyebrow and steps forward, letting the door close behind her. “You’re going to the football game tonight?” She asks, wondering if she had heard him right the first time.

“Uh, yeah. George has a friend there he wants us to meet,” Karl answers measly. 

“O...kay,” his mother replies skeptically. She notices the clothes laid out on his sheets.

“And these? Who’s the girl?” His mother teases, going over to his bed and feeling the sweaters.

Karl cheeks start to feel hot, he stutters, “No- No one. It’s gonna be cold so, layers, right?” 

She nods and decides not to push further. “This looks nice,” she picks up a beige sweater with a plain white collared shirt, “who taught you how to dress?” 

He didn’t have the confidence to tell her he was greatly inspired by the boy he spent less than a minute with. 

“George suggested it,” he lies. His mother hums in approval.

She puts the top down, “Well, I’ll let you get ready. When do you leave?”

He answers her, “Six thirty-ish.” Looking at the clock above his door, an hour had passed. He couldn’t believe he’d been matching outfits for an hour already.

His mother places a kiss on his forehead, “Make sure you grab something to eat before you go.” With that she leaves.

Karl’s looking at himself in the mirror. Deep in thought, he notices the flaps of the button up peaking out from under the sweater. He decides to tuck them in, it looked cleaner that way. He understands why Sapnap would wear something like this, it instantly made his confidence go up while staying in his comfort zone.

He hears the honking of a horn, signaling that his friends were here to pick him up. Karl snatches a twenty dollar bill from his desk and rushes downstairs, grabbing his shoes from the rack as he did so.

His mother appears from the corner, handing him a protein bar, “Take this. And stay safe, okay? I don’t want to visit the hospital tonight,” she scolds.

“I will, I will. I’ll be back before ten tonight,” he promises her as he laces up his shoes.

When Karl gets up, her hands reach for his collar. She straightens it out, pulling the edges that were stuck beneath the sweater and laying them on the collar.

“There you are, now you’re ready,” she smiles and pats his shoulder.

Karl returns the expression and places a kiss on his mom’s cheek. 

“Thank you,” he genuinely tells her. She waves her hands as to say go. Karl waves goodbye before grabbing the protein bar and slipping out the house. He makes his way down the driveway and into the backseat of Niki’s car. George watched him enter from the passenger seat.

“Alright, alright, I see you, Jacobs” George teases, once noticing the not-so-Karl-like fit.

Karl feels himself start to blush. Buckling his seatbelt he replies, “Lets go, we’re going to be late.”

It doesn’t take Karl to repeat himself for Niki to step on the gas. For as little as she was, she sure did have a heavy foot and Karl only waited for the day she was pulled over for speeding. 

On the car ride there, George reviewed the plan to Karl.

“We watch the game until the end, I’ll go down to the field and talk to Dream, and you two come ‘looking for me’,” George air quotes with his fingers, “and find me talking to Dream. Karl, you will say…” 

Karl completes the sentence, having run this twice before, “Hey where were you? And who is this?” 

George replies, “Good, and I will say, ‘Oh just meeting up with a friend, this is Dream’ to which Niki replies…”

“‘Hi, I’m Niki and this is Karl. We’re good friends with George,” she’s pulling into campus now.

“And that’s it. I can handle the conversation from there,” George turns his body towards the backseat to make eye contact with Karl, “Think you can do it?”

Karl nods, “I can do it.” 

Or at least, he was pretty sure he could.

Niki parks the car in front of the stadium. It was about twenty minutes till the seven o’clock game starts. 

George unclicks his seatbelt, “It’s showtime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! Do let me know what you think, my comments are always open for criticism.


	4. Lingering Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Mention of physical violence
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

To say Karl was overwhelmed was an understatement.

He didn't realize how many people attended the games at his school. Each row was nearly filled to the brim; people pressed against each other like packed sardines in the student section. 

It was also rather loud. With the band playing, and the crowd already excited for what is to come, there wasn’t a dull moment in the slightest.

Karl ate his protein bar while Niki and George taught him the positions and the rules of the game.

“Dream’s the quarterback, which means he’s responsible for getting the ball to the people who run it across the field,” George explains.

Niki adds on, “those people who run the ball are usually your wide receivers, and that’s Sapnap and Punz” 

Karl nods, he’s a little lost, but all he really needed to know was when to cheer and when to stay quiet. They continue to explain the rules of the game and the positions, including what warranted a touchdown or an interception.

Soon enough, he could see a wave of royal purple and white enter the field. He assumed this was his school’s team, based on the crowd’s cheers (that and Karl knew what his school’s colors were). From where they sat, he could tell who was who if he squinted.

Upon seeing Dream enter the field, George shot straight up from his seat, as well did most of the crowd, in cheering him on. Niki and Karl did the same in support of Dream.

Scanning the field, he could see Sapnap. He wore a white jersey with a large, violet, number 17 on the back. In his hand, his helmet. Karl took a mental note to remember he was number 17 and Dream was number 1. 

On the opposite side, a sea of blue and white flooded the field. The crowd died down, and Karl felt the tension rise. George leaned towards Karl, “Clairemont High. One of our biggest rivals.”

From there the game had started. 

Throughout the first half, Karl had observed how brutal the game could be. The tackles made by the other team sent his own flying back, and vice versa. At one point, Karl felt sick to his stomach watching one of the opposite team’s players get laid in a stretcher and sent off the field. 

It wasn’t all too bad though. Past the brutality and well, the overall goal of the game, he was accustomed to each play and what it brought.

At one point, the crowd went wild for a specific touchdown made none other by theirs truly, #17. From what Niki explained, Dream had made a pass unlike no other: from the twenty yard line, he had sent the ball flying to Sapnap, who was on the thirty yard line on the opposite side of the field. Then he sprinted it all the way to the end, scoring a touchdown.

The combination of the crowd, band, and players on the field expressing delight and utmost excitement made Karl’s heart race. Even when he didn’t know how phenomenal the pass was, with nothing to compare it to, he had a sense that it was the highlight of the game.

When he wasn’t tracking down players on the field, Karl spent a good amount of time watching George react. Every time Dream made a successful pass, George would do a little jump and shout a variation of ‘Let’s go!’ or ‘Yes sir!’. It made Karl’s heart full to see him so joyful. 

He didn’t know it was the end of the game until George had told him so. Their team had won by quite a lot, seventeen points to be exact. He doesn’t know how they racked so many to begin with, not once paying attention to the scoreboard, but instead what was happening on the field. 

George gestured a ‘come on’ notion to both Niki and Karl, letting them know to follow him down the bleachers. They did so, weaving through the people who still sat taking pictures and cheering about. Plenty were littered among the base floor beside the fence to the field, making it absurdly easy to lose George to begin with, especially when he was ecstatic to meet with Dream.

At the bottom of the rows, he can see Dream and Sapnap now with their helmets off. Sapnap’s wet hair stuck to the back of his neck, and his jersey the same, equally drenched in sweat. He was drinking water, more or less pouring it on top of himself more than actually consuming it.

George instructed them to wait there while he got to Dream. Niki and Karl were to wait three minutes before ‘searching for George’.

“Nervous much?” Niki asked, gesturing towards Karl’s hands. He was playing with the ends of his sweater, tugging and pulling on any loose string he could find. It wasn’t as if he was doing it on purpose, his mind was elsewhere.

“I guess? I mean, I want to make a good impression,” he tells her. She only nods and stares off at the field with him.

George had dodged through the crowd and managed to get Dream on his own. Karl could visibly see George laughing as if Dream had told him the funniest joke in the world. 

Niki nudged Karl, “time to go,” she reminded him. 

As they made their way through the sea of students, Karl could feel his stomach in his throat. Why was he so nervous? There was no reason to be so anxious.

Finding George, Karl took a deep breath before delivering the line he had practiced a hundred times before in the car and during the game, “Hey- where were you?”

Completely forgetting the ‘And who is this’, George answered as if he had asked.

“Sorry, I was just meeting up with a friend,” he gestures to Dream, who was standing tall besides George. 

“This is Dream,” he introduces him.

Dream stuck out his hand. They hadn’t rehearsed this. Karl internally panicked. Was he supposed to shake his hand? Or was Dream offering the little slap motion George greeted Karl in the past before? In the time Karl took to think it through, Niki had put out her hand to meet Dream’s.

“Hi I’m Niki, and this is Karl. We’re good friends of George,” she effortlessly shakes his hand with a smile.

“I’m Dream, but please feel free to call me Clay- or Dream, whatever you’d like really,” Dream replied with a smile. 

With no one really calling him by his real name, Karl figured he would still call him Dream. It just fit; Dream. _Dream_. 

George looked absolutely vibrant when he had heard that they could call him by his real name. It brought a small grin to Karl’s face.

Realizing the conversation went dry after their introductions, Niki changed the subject, “That pass to Sapnap tonight was insane! It was an amazing play,” she marveled. 

“It _was_ pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.” 

Karl jumped at the new voice, not noticing that Sapnap had been in the area behind him.

Dream chuckled, “Thank you, Niki. Sapnap, meet George’s friends, Niki and-“

Sapnap finished for him, “Karl. We’ve met.”

He had made something so mundane sound intriguing, it caught Karl off guard even hearing it a million times before. The way his words linked together made him hear what silk felt like. 

George cocked an eyebrow, “you’ve met?” 

Niki chimes in, “yeah, you two have met before?” 

Sapnap answered their question, “Yeah,” he rested his pal on Karl’s shoulder, “he forgot his planner one day in Chem. Found it on my way in.”

Karl glanced down at the hand on his shoulder. It sent waves of warmth down his body in contrast to the newly cold wind tickling his cheeks.

Hearing the oh so familiar tone of an iPhone ring, Karl watched as Niki excused herself while walking away to take the phone call. He wondered who would call her this late at night.

Dream turned his head towards Karl, “Y’know, George talks about you a lot.”

George hits him playfully on the shoulder, “I do not!” 

Karl giggles. He’s not surprised George already told Dream about him, and probably also about Niki. Any story he had to tell most likely than not included him and Niki; it’s just the way it was when they were the closest friends they’ve got. 

“Oh really?” Karl teases, “I hope it’s all good things.” 

Dream chuckled, “Only good things, I promise.” With that, George crossed his arms.

George pouted, “Great, you’ve exposed me.” 

Ruffling George’s hair, Dream shook the pout off his face, “Oh boo hoo.” 

“I’m sure Dream does the same for me,” Sapnap assures George, shifting his weight to his other knee.

Karl notices Sapnap’s hand leave his shoulder. It’s absence makes Karl more aware of his surroundings.

“How long have you two known each other?” Karl asks.

Sapnap answers with what seems like without any thought whatsoever, “Since the womb. I haven’t lived a second without this idiot.”

Dream rolls his eyes, “Our moms are best friends,” he explains.

Karl hums. He feels as though he knew George since birth, although George only came around within the last year and a half. 

He sees Niki return to the conversation, her hands in her pockets. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but something happened at home and now I’ve gotta pick up my parents,” she apologizes.

Karl worries for her, “Is everything okay?”

She gives him a half smile. “Everything’s fine, but I can’t take you guys home tonight,” pulling her hands out of her pockets, she goes to give Karl and George each a twenty dollar bill, “Here, this’ll cover the Uber home.”

Both George and Karl refuse.

“No, no, go do what you gotta do. We’ll figure it out,” George says, taking her hands and moving them back towards her. They hated taking money from each other, no matter the reason. 

Besides, for as much as Niki drives them around, she was the last person to be giving them money to get home. 

Dream interjects, “I know it’s not my place or anything, but I could give them a ride- if it’s fine with you guys, of course.”

George looks at Karl for approval. Even though Karl’s only known Dream for less than five minutes, something inside him told him it would be fine. He would rather the both of them enter the car with Dream than just George.

Karl nodded, “That works, thank you,” he looks back at Niki, “please, call or text if you need anything, okay? Stay safe.”

She assures him that it would be okay before quickly thanking Dream and jogging to her car. Karl catches a glimpse of Dream whispering something to George.

Sapnap waves her a goodbye, “Do you guys mind waiting here for a minute? We’ve gotta get changed and then we’ll head out.” 

Karl didn’t realize Sapnap was coming along for the ride. That wasn’t part of the plan. Well, the plan that had been decided moments beforehand. 

George waves his hands in dismissal, “Of course, take your time.” 

With that, Sapnap and Dream jog across the field to the locker rooms on the opposite side of the stadium.

George closes the gap between him and Karl, pulling him to an empty bench. 

He sighs, “Man, I hope Niki’s alright,” George runs a hand through his hair.

“I’m sure everything’s fine. She would tell us it was bad if it was,” Karl assured him. They fall quiet for a few minutes.

Wanting to lighten the mood, George elbows Karl, “So… when were you going to tell us you already met Sapnap?”

Karl recalled the events from that Tuesday, except he didn’t mention the observations he made. Karl didn’t know what he was feeling, but the touch Sapnap left on his shoulder kept burning in the sharp wind. 

By the time Sapnap and Dream came out, most of the people from the stadium had left. Karl was still sitting on the bench with George. The temperature had surely dropped what felt like twenty degrees in the past three hours. What was once a warm, fitting, sweater, was now paper against the harsh wind, leaving Karl shivering.

George elbowed Karl to signal that they were to get up now. Doing so, Karl hugged his arms. 

Sapnap led the way to Dream’s car, leaving Karl and Sapnap in the front of the group and George and Dream in the back. 

The walk back to the parking lot felt like it could drag on for hours. Karl didn’t know what to say to Sapnap, and Sapnap was rather quiet as well.

They could hear behind them Clay and George, specifically George, who was giggling in response to something Clay had said.

“So,” Sapnap glanced at Karl, “first time coming to a game?” 

Karl didn’t want to lie, so he answered truthfully, “Er, yeah,” he meets his eyes, “It was cool though! Really.”

Sapnap cracked a smile, “Just cool or…” he teased. He elbows him lightly.

His demeanor made Karl feel more than comfortable, like as though they hadn’t just formally met tonight.

Karl scoffs jokingly, “Would you like me to say that it was more than cool?” he presses.

With lips pressed into a thin line, and eyes peering off to the upper left corner of the sky, Sapnap answered in thought, “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to lie but you’ve gotta admit, it _was_ a pretty good game.”

Karl strokes his chin in contemplation to agree. He was right though, not that Karl would exactly know what distinguished a good game from a bad game, but what matters was that he enjoyed it. The real question was if the game would be as entertaining as it was without Sapnap or Dream. That’s debatable.

“Perhaps it was,” Karl alludes, “Dream really popped off.”

Sapnap bit his lip, “Oh really? And #17, what about him?” 

They’re now walking through the parking lot, Dream and George rather far behind them now.

Karl took a moment to respond, “I think he was alright, his luck was impeccable tonight.”

The boy beside him hums and nods, “I wouldn’t say luck persay,” he starts, “there had to be some sort of skill involved, don’t you think?”

The validation he sought made Karl’s smile grow.

“I mean I guess…” he clicks his tongue.

Sapnap’s head was still high, but his face was now more determined. His eyes were narrower and his nose was a bit crinkled, as though he was plotting in his head.

“Then you’re going to have to come to another game to see for yourself,” Sapnap concluded.

Though the rest of his body was cold, his neck and face felt rather hot. There was no doubt his cheeks were blossoming into a rosy tone.

He clears his throat, “I-If you say so,” Karl stutters.

Now feeling accomplished, Sapnap is smirking, having won this conversation although it wasn’t a competition.

“Great! Then I’ll be seeing you next Friday,” Sapnap beams.

With that, the confident boy stopped at a Jeep of sorts. It reminded Karl of the kind of Jeep you’d take to the beach. 

Dream clicked his keys, unlocking the car. He and Sapnap went ahead and put their bags in the car before wrapping around back to George and Karl.

Karl’s replaying what had just happened in his head. The certain brunette had just decided Karl’s plan for Friday, and for some reason, Karl didn’t bother having a say in it. He just let him.

Dream opens the passenger door for George, who thanks him quietly and slips in. Karl lets himself in on the other side, seeing as Sapnap walked around to his half.

His car was exceptionally clean. He would’ve been convinced it was brand new if Sapnap hadn’t said what he said next.

“Dream’s heater is broken, and his windows,” he points to them, “are stuck halfway open.”

Karl looks at the windows. He barely noticed their existence to begin with. From the corner of his eye, he sees Sapnap rustle around in his seat. Turning his head, he’s faced with a sweater.

“You’ll get cold,” Sapnap explains. 

Karl’s about to refuse his offer when George vouches for Sapnap from the front seat, “If I had known we would ride with Dream, I definitely would’ve brought mine.”

He notices that George was wearing Dream’s varsity jacket now.

Dream groans and flicks George’s shoulder, “I told you to keep an extra one in here just in case.” He yelps, rubbing his shoulder and sticking his tongue at Dream.

Karl reluctantly takes the sweater.

“I swear it’s clean, I just did the laundry,” he assures him.

It wasn’t that he was concerned for. His stomach churned, but not in a way that made him want to throw up. It was the way he held his breath accepting the bundle of fabric, and the way his fingertips tingled while his hands quivered. The interaction was faint, yet it left a scorching mark.

It was rather large on him, yet again he was significantly shorter than Sapnap and with less muscle. His fingers barely reached the ends of the sleeves, and the bottom hem laid on the midst of his thighs. 

It didn’t smell like his cologne from Tuesday. The scent was softer, and more like a wisp of lavender. It was delicate, like the morning after it rains. It pulled Karl.

The ride was relatively silent. After a long day, everyone was exhausted. Karl couldn’t imagine how tired Dream and Sapnap were. With the amount of running they do, he was surprised Dream wasn’t falling asleep at the wheel. Perhaps he was too occupied by the pretty boy next to him, who babbled on about how his day went, including the brief visit to Karl’s home abode.

With half lidded eyes, Karl sensed the familiar turns to his house. The frosty air kept him up, but his exhaustion was slowly creeping to him.

He thanks Dream and Sapnap before slipping out of the car. George waves and tells him to say thank you to his mother for earlier’s stay. They don’t leave until he’s in his house.

All the lights but a lamp in the living room are out. Looking at his phone, he realizes it’s nearly eleven at night. Karl curses under his breath. He told his mom he’d be back before ten. 

It was the first time that night he had even picked up his phone, noticing the missed messages from both Niki and his mom. Reading the previews, he could gather that Niki told his mom of the changes, and his mom still wished to know when he was coming home. 

He quietly unlaced his sneakers and placed them on the rack before moving to the living room to turn off the lamp.

He’s about to flick the switch when he hears shuffling from the couch. Peeking over, he discovers his poor mother curled up into a pillow, She must’ve fell asleep waiting for him.

He wishes that he sent a text or had even called her to let her know he was at least safe. The thought slipped his mind completely to do so. Karl would have to make it up to her in the morning. 

From their closet under the stairs, he grabs a wool blanket and lays it over her. He wouldn’t want to wake her up, but she’ll know that Karl was home with the blanket. He finally turns off the lamp.

Karl slowly climbs the stairs, stepping close to the railing to avoid the creaks in the floorboards. He opens the door to his bedroom, paying little attention to the clothes from the earlier expedition strewn about the room. Upon swinging by his bathroom, he notices he’s still wearing Sapnap’s sweater. 

He doesn’t want to take it off just yet, but after a moment of peering into the mirror, he pulls it over his head, catching a whiff of the faint lavender wash. 

Karl was sure he would see Sapnap again next Friday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait on this chapter. it is longer than usual, and it contained more Sapnap content, so I hope that made up for the wait. Again, feel free to leave any of your thoughts in the comments. I want to know what you think! The next chapter will be out a lot sooner than the wait on this one. Thank you for all your support, I hope you all had a wonderful New Years and be sure to watch the Mr. Beast Rewind when it comes out!


	5. Crêpes & Breadsticks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // None 
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

At nine forty-five in the morning, one could find Karl Jacobs in his mother’s apron whipping up the softest crêpes known to mankind. Mankind being his household this morning.

He’s working on the homemade crêpe mix listening to a specific playlist made for cooking. Whisking in the eggs, he’s bobbing his head and tapping his feet to the beat. 

Karl enjoyed cooking more than he did baking. He felt as though there was more creative freedom within cooking. Sure, baking allowed for gorgeous presentations and structures, but it was cooking that really let Karl mess around. He could add more spices without ruining an entire dish, unlike baking where an extra ½ teaspoon of baking soda will cause it to explode. Maybe not explode, but one could get Karl’s drift.

That morning he made sure to text Niki back. He made sure that she made it home safely, and if she was still going on a family trip this weekend.

Karl didn’t bother asking what had happened. When it came to Niki, he knew she was more private than George was. Not to say that he overshares (even if he did, Karl didn’t mind), but it was that Niki often kept things to herself.

She replied whilst Karl began pouring his mixture thinly on a pan. Putting down the bowl, he picks up his phone and reads what she wrote.

_Got home before midnight and omw with the family rn. did u and gogy get home safe ?_

Skimming through her message, he sent her a message back.

_Yes, I don’t know about George, they dropped me off first_

Karl sets his phone down. If he didn’t pay attention, he would burn the crepes, and the last thing he wanted was to have his mother wake up to the smell of burnt breakfast and disappointment.

He wondered about George. Karl’s sure he made it back home safely. He was more of a trusting person than he himself had led on to be, however, Karl still wondered. He decides to shoot George a good morning text, even though it was highly unlikely George would answer before noon. George was not a morning person,

Besides, George had to have gotten home for his big date tonight. Well, their big date tonight, since Karl was attending as well. It nearly slipped his mind while he flipped the crêpe on the pan.

Karl doesn’t understand why he’s even going. As far as he knew, George and Dream were already so comfortable with each other. The two’s chemistry was undeniably growing stronger by the minute. Karl could tell his best friend genuinely had feelings for the other, and if Karl knew more about Dream, he was sure he’d say the same. Besides, they flirted all last night anyways. 

_Last night._

He thought back to last night. So much had happened. Perhaps it was his charisma, but Sapnap made him feel… different. Not in a bad way per say, but in a way that was new. Like a rock thrown on a new lake, the water rippled and disturbed. 

The ghost of Sapnap’s touch still lingered on his shoulder. Why? Karl would never know, but what he did know was that he returned home with plans for Friday and a sweater that wasn’t his own. 

He’s pulled from his thoughts when he hears his mother behind him.

“Mmm smells good,” his mother says behind him. Karl turns around. She was still in her clothes that she slept in from the couch. 

He pulls out his earbuds and lays them with his phone on the counter. Lathering a crêpe in strawberry jam and cream cheese, he folds it onto a plate and slides it on the counter towards her.

“Good morning. Just for you,” he says, pulling open a drawer and grabbing a fork and knife for her to eat with.

She drags one of the stools from underneath the counter and climbs on top of it. 

“Thank you,” she drags the ‘ou’. She seemed to be awfully cheerful.

His mother begins to cut the crêpe into bite sized pieces while Karl makes himself one to eat with her. They prized anytime they had to eat with each other. With his mother working day the afternoon shift up until late morning, oftentimes they didn’t share a meal until the weekends.

“I’m sorry,” Karl starts, taking a seat besides her.

She looks up and furrows her brows, “for what?”

Karl had a soft spot in his heart for his mother, as most people do, however, Karl especially had one for her. He owes everything to his mom, from his birth, to that very moment, eating breakfast on a Saturday morning, he really owed it all to his mother. So it made him especially sad to let her down even in the slightest, but perhaps that’s because a son’s love for his mother trumps all.

He cuts up his crêpe, avoiding her eye contact, “I didn’t text last night. Left you waiting,” he tries not to mumble in shame.

She waves her hands, both of which held a silver utensil, in dismissal, “Don’t worry about it, just make sure it doesn’t happen again, you know?” His mother takes a bite and hums in approval.

He’s surprised she isn’t chewing him up for it, not that she has in the past, due to the fact that Karl rarely did anything to warrant her being upset, but because he felt like he deserved it. After all, she ended up falling asleep on the couch. 

“Yeah- yes, I’ll text you next time, and I mean it,” he answers her. She nods at him with a grin.

“This is so good,” his mother marvels, covering her mouth from talking while chewing.

Karl giggles, taking a bite himself he tilts his head from side to side, “could be fluffier,” he concludes.

She rolls her eyes and smacks his shoulder playfully, “Stop that, it’s better than I could ever make.” 

He shrugs. His mother, although she would never admit to it, is an amazing cook. Karl learned practically everything from her when he was younger. Of course, with time, there seemed to be less and less opportunities to learn from her, so he took it upon himself to teach the wonders of flavors and textures. 

They sit in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company as they ate their crêpes. It was moments like these that Karl relished in.

Wiping his mouth, he asks her about her schedule, “Are you called in tonight?”

With a groan his mother replies, “Yes. One of the girls asked me to cover them, and I knew you were going out to dinner tonight, so I took it.”

He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Karl felt terrible about leaving his mom like that just as he did the night before. He can only hope that his departure tonight wasn’t the only reason why she took the shift.

“Besides,” she continues, “I owe her one. Where are you going tonight, anyways?”

“Um, Olive Garden, I think” he answers, getting off his stool to grab both their plates to wash. 

His mother nods upwards as to say ‘oh okay’ and gets up from her chair. She’s got the blanket Karl put over her laid on top of her shoulders. He didn’t notice that before.

Karl begins to wash the plates when an idea snaked its way to the front of his brain. 

“Wanna watch a movie before you go?” he offers her as she’s about to head upstairs to do what he assumes to take a shower.

With a growing smile and a wink, she answers him, her voice bouncing off the walls of the staircase, “You betcha!”

They had decided on one of their all time favorites, Mamma Mia. The two of them were curled up on the coach in their jammies with two wool blankets draped over them. A bowl of popcorn was between them, empty from the very beginning as they couldn’t help but munch on it within the first twenty minutes.

Throughout the film, Karl could feel his phone vibrating with messages. Not wanting to disrupt their time together, he chooses not to look at it. 

His mother checks her watch and frowns. Karl realizes it's time for her to go to work.

“Keep the movie playing while I get ready, okay?” She asks. Karl nods and she goes to change. 

He figures now would be a good time to check his phone. He had missed eight messages from George and two from Niki. Niki only sent him two pictures of her trip. George had responded at about noon-ish, with a “good morning :D” and constant questions about whether or not Karl would attend tonight’s dinner. 

Karl can’t say no. He keeps his word, and it wouldn’t hurt for him to treat himself to Olive Garden anyways. He replies with a simple, “Yes, I’m still coming.” George immediately sends him the details of tonight, including the address and time of arrival.

By the time his mother comes back, the end of the movie was nearing. 

“Alright, well, have fun tonight, okay?” She tells him, grabbing her bag from the chair next to their door.

Karl nods and opens the door for her, “I will, I will.”

She gives him a kiss on the forehead and from there she’s off to work.

With a sigh, Karl figures it was about time he gets ready for tonight. He doesn’t take nearly as much time picking an outfit as he did the night before, figuring that the point would be to not be seen. On his bathroom counter lays the sweater from the night before. Picking it up, he can smell the lilac waves from the pool of fabric in his hands. Karl felt as though he could drown in it.

He decides to bring the sweater with him. The next time Karl sees Sapnap, he’ll be able to return the article to him if it were in his car. 

Coming downstairs with the sweater in hand, he notices the credits were playing. There was still a few hours before he would have to leave, but he wanted to make sure he was ready. 

He figures he would spend this time completing some school work. The changes in his plans through a wrench in planner, so he was falling behind on schedule. Karl wanted to study for Chemistry. That midterm was arriving soon and he was still worried about the whole lab portion. Thus, he spent the rest of the afternoon researching into the formulas his teacher glossed over the past few months.

It isn’t long until Karl’s watching Dream opens the door for George from his car. Both of them wore collared shirts, but George had Dream’s varsity jacket from the night before on his shoulders. 

As stalker-ish as it may sound, his eyes follow them as they’re seated in a booth across from a window. A few minutes pass by until he decides its time to go. 

Karl twists the key from it’s input and pulls it out, turning off the car. Sapnap’s neatly folded sweater rests in the passenger seat for now. He slips out and clicks his keys. 

It wasn’t as cold as he thought it would be, which is a plus because he didn’t bother layering up or anything. Weaving through the parking lot, he passes Dream’s Jeep. Dream had picked up George to take him to dinner.

Karl waits to cross the street as an old pick-up truck wheels on by. There wasn’t as many people as he thought there would be at Olive Garden on a Saturday evening. He found it rather strange. 

Opening the door to the establishment, the aroma of fresh breadsticks greets him. A deep breath and his stomach growls on cue. He was so caught up in his studies he had completely skipped over lunch earlier. Karl could really scarf down a few of those now. 

The hostess at the front register smiles at him. On her name tag reads “Cara”. 

With a leather pad in her hands, she greets him “Hello! Party of how many?”

Karl's mouth is open to answer her question when someone else beats him to it. 

“Two, party of two”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might've lied last chapter about updating earlier. I was sadly mistaken with the workload from the past two weeks, however, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is a little bit of a filler, but I can assure the next will be prime time Sapnap and Karl content. The next chapter already has a skeleton, so it shouldn't nearly take as long, but no promises D: As always, leave a comment or kudos however you please, and I will see you next time!


	6. Vulnerability

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // None
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

Whipping his head around, he’s met with none other than the boy from the night before. 

Sapnap.

It was Karl’s luck that he’d get caught by the best friend of the boy George was on a date with.

The hostess smiles, “Sounds good, follow me,” she begins to make her way down the restaurant.

Completely frazzled to what was going on, he follows aimlessly, wanting to sit down and question the brunette.

She seats them a few tables away from Dream and George, far enough away that they couldn’t be seen but they could still see them. They’re also in a booth seat. 

“What can I get you started with?” She asks, notebook in hand.

Sapnap doesn’t hesitate, “Dr. Pepper, please.”

Karl blinks. He’s still baffled about what was going on. He just decides to go with water. 

When she leaves to fulfill their beverage order, Karl puts his menu aside and stares down Sapnap.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, well, more or less demands. 

Sapnap smirks, “I could ask you the same thing,” he looks up from his menu once and then back down, “How do we feel about an appetizer?”

Karl short circuits.

“Appetizer, Sapnap what-”

The waitress returns, handing them their drinks. Sapnap replies with a quiet ‘thank you’ while Karl stares at the boy in front of him.

“Would we like to start off with an appetizer?” She glances at the two of them. 

Sapnap nods and answers before Karl could reply, “Yes ma’am, we would like the mozzarella sticks, please.” 

She nods and leaves to put in that order.

Karl’s still staring at Sapnap when he hits the bottom of his straw against the table to pull it out of its paper encasement. 

“I hope you like mozzarella sticks,” Sapnap offers. Karl ignores that statement.

“Are you here to…” He trails off, waiting for Sapnap to confirm or deny his suspicion.

It’s too much of a coincidence that the both of them were at Olive Garden at the same time with their own friends three seats away. The probability of that happening on its own was far too great to say that Sapnap just decided to have dinner now and here.

“I assume you are, so make of that what you will,” he sets his menu down to meet his eyes, “but if you ask me, I think they’re gonna be fine.”

Karl feels his cheeks heat up. He plays with the end of his sleeve without breaking his stare, “Then why are you here?”

Sapnap’s the first to look away, “I don’t break promises,” he picks a breadstick from the basket, “also means I can eat breadsticks, so I mean, who’s really winning here?” 

Karl watches him as he takes a bite from his breadstick. He could agree with that, after all, Karl’s highlight of the night was going to be those breadsticks.

“And it’s boring to eat alone, don’t you think?” he adds.

He was right. At least they weren’t both eating alone.

Karl nods and also grabs a breadstick, “You’ve got a point there, I suppose.” 

A smile grows on Sapnap’s face. Wiping his mouth, he takes a sip from his Dr. Pepper.

They sit in silence for a moment, this time a little more uncomfortable than the night before. Karl thought he might have been a little too harsh earlier, but he’s quickly convinced otherwise.

“I’m sorry if I’m, y’know, being a little… too forward, if that makes any sense,” Sapnap apologizes.

Karl shakes his head, “No, no, it’s just,” he pauses to think, “I’m surprised to see you again, that’s all.” That was also true. For someone he only met a few days ago, they sure kept bumping into each other.

He sees Sapnap smirk, “I told you we’d be seeing each other again,” he teases.

Karl picks up the menu to decide what he wants to have for dinner, “I didn’t think it’d be tonight.” 

Last he checked, the next time they were to meet, according to Sapnap himself, would be the upcoming Friday of his next game.

Sapnap mirrors his movements, “Is that such a bad thing, Karl?” 

He shivers. He doesn’t know why it sounded so good hearing it come from Sapnap’s lips.

“I guess not, Sapnap, I guess not.”

The two of them spend the next few minutes looking over the menu, for real this time. Karl’s between the chicken alfredo and a small pan veggie pizza. He wasn’t one to eat heavy when he goes out, many restaurants never impressed him enough to really love the food. It wasn’t him being ungrateful, it was just the fact that he knew what essentially went in it that ruined it for him. The magic left when his cooking skills heightened.

The waitress comes back with the mozzarella sticks. He had nearly forgotten that Sapnap ordered an appetizer. She lays the tray between the two of them. Everything just smelt so good in the restaurant to Karl, but perhaps he was just hungry.

She takes their orders, and Karl discovers that Sapnap has ordered a meat-lovers calzone. He had decided on the chicken alfredo. 

When she leaves, Sapnap offers him the basket, “Here, have some. I’m not gonna finish it all,”

Karl’s about to refuse when Sapnap presses, “Please? I can’t sit here and eat fried cheese sticks alone.”

With that, Karl can’t help but giggle at the fact that he had called them fried cheese sticks. He wasn’t wrong, but coming from him it made Karl exhale in laughter. He complies and takes one, blowing on it before biting.

“So… I don’t really know much about you other than the fact you’re George’s friend and that you went to your first football game yesterday.” Sapnap states, leaning back in his seat.

Karl nods and a moment passes before he realizes that Sapnap wanted him to talk about himself, “Oh! Um, well,” he thinks, “there isn’t much to say” he says sheepishly. 

Sapnap crinkles his nose, “I’m sure there’s more to you than that.”

Karl always hated questions like those. It always left him on the spot and unable to think of anything to say. He never knew where to start. Karl didn’t want to scare him off. Taking a deep breath, he decides to go with something relatable. 

“I like music,” Karl taps his fingers on the table, “I play a few instruments.”

Sapnap’s got a toothy grin and wide eyes, “No way! I’ve been playing violin all my life.” 

Karl gasps, he’s never met someone who’s played a string instrument as he did, “Wait really? I played the viola growing up.”

For someone who completely destroyed in football, Karl didn’t expect him to play something as gentle as the violin.

“I don’t have as much time now with football and all that,” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck, “but once the season ends, I can switch out of weight training to take orchestra.”

Karl cant help but smile, “If I had the room in my schedule, I’d take orchestra.” 

Sapnap glances down at Karl’s shirt and back up again, “What’s taking up your time?”

From there Karl had spiraled into a full length discussion on how he needed to wipe out as many ‘harder’ classes he can take. He didn’t want to go to an Ivy League persay, but he definitely had the thought. Now what he wanted to do, that was the real question. 

The waitress had swung by with their food mid conversation. 

“Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out,” Sapnap said, then taking a bite out of his calzone.

Karl shrugs while twirling pasta with his fork, “Yes and no, I still have no idea what to major in,” he admits, a little embarrassed. 

Sapnap assures him, “Well whatever you choose, I’m sure you’ll kill it.”

“How would you know?” 

“You give me the feeling that the impossible is possible.”

He couldn’t help but look down at his food. If he wasn’t blushing before, he was most definitely blushing now. His skin felt hot.

They eat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s presence. The ambiance of the restaurant sets the mood, making it far less awkward to eat in front of each other. 

Sapnap finishes before Karl does, wiping his mouth as he does so. He can’t finish his pasta, so he settles for half of his plate left. They aren’t left to conversate some more when Cara swings by again asking if they would like dessert.

The two of them agree not to have one and Sapnap asks for the check and a to-go box. She nods and leaves. 

Karl reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. Pulling it out, Sapnap shakes his head and waves his hand in dismissal.

“I got it, don’t worry,” he says.

Karl can’t help but rebute, “It’s alright, I swear,” he starts before Sapnap interrupts him.

Clicking his tongue, he counters, “Please, my treat. Besides, I invited myself to your one-man dinner.”

There was no way Karl would let Sapnap take the whole check. 

Karl scoffs, “If it weren’t for you I’d eat alone in an Olive Garden on a Saturday evening.”

He’s got his card out, running his fingers on the engraved numbers. Karl notices the same ring from earlier in the week.

“How about this,” Sapnap tries to compromise, “I’ll get this one this time and you can take care of the tip, deal?” 

This time.

Karl didn’t know there would be another time.

He’s at a loss for words when Cara comes back with a to-go box and the check. Sapnap waves her over for the check and places his card in it. She leaves with the check book.

“Um- Sure, yeah, I got the tip,” Karl manages to stutter out. He’s still shocked with Sapnap’s last statement. 

Karl packs up the rest of his chicken alfredo while Sapnap checks his phone. They’d been off their phones the entire dinner, which was a good sign in Karl’s mind.

Cara returns with his card and the receipt. Karl asks for the receipt but Sapnap only shakes his head and tucks it into his back pocket. He feels a little guilty, knowing that the amount must’ve been rather large for him to not show him. At the same time though, Sapnap did insist he pay for it, so Karl was more at ease.

Before leaving, Karl places a twenty-five dollar tip down. The two of them are side by side leaving the restaurant. Sapnap opens the door for him, the cold air greeting the both of them. Karl mutters a soft ‘thank you’ and steps outside. He doesn’t know where Sapnap parked, but Sapnap follows him throughout the parking lot.

Where once Dream's Jeep was is now an empty parking space, reminding Karl the reason why he was there at the restaurant to begin with: to ensure George and Dream’s date went well. 

Sapnap distracted him in the best way possible.

“I didn’t even notice them leave,” Karl admits, pointing at the spot. 

For some reason, Karl didn’t feel bad about it. Something in him told him that they were fine, and that their date went very well. 

Sapnap stops with him and shrugs.

“They left like thirty minutes ago, I think.” he recollects.

Karl glances at him. Sapnap knew they had left and didn’t bother telling him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Karl asks him.

He bites his lip and answers, “I guess I wanted to know who Karl Jacobs was more.”

They stand there in silence for a moment. Karl can hear his own heart beat in his ears, the pounding shaking his head about. His hands were heavy, almost like anchors, making his knees weak and breath shallow.

No one has ever made him feel so vulnerable.

Breaking the silence, Sapnap clears his throat, “So uh, thank you for letting me crash your dinner.” He’s shifting from foot to foot, almost as if he was nervous.

“Yeah, um, totally,” Karl replies.

Sapnap steps towards the opposite direction from where they were going.

“Good night, Karl.” 

Sapnap doesn’t wait for him to say it back or anything, and instead turns around to go to his car. Karl can’t help but watch him leave. He’s standing there, dumbfounded about the night.

Before Sapnap can get far, Karl remembers he has Sapnap’s sweater in his car.

“Wait!” Karl shouts after him, “I have your sweater!” 

Sapnap turns around.

“Keep it! It’s yours now!” 

Karl’s about to yell back when Sapnap gets into his car. He recognizes the car from earlier in the evening. It was the same old pick-up truck that passed by him before entering the restaurant.  
There’s a fog from how heavy Karl was breathing in the cold air. He was still standing there at the empty parking spot, a few cars length away from his own. 

Shaking his head, he speedwalks to his car and gets in the front seat. Karl takes a few minutes to replay every moment of his dinner he questioned. From the sudden addition to what would be a lone stakeout, to the little comments that made Karl’s heart flutter, and to Sapnap admitting to wanting to know more about Karl. It made no sense to him.

Unlike the night before, Karl returned home with a sweater that is now his own and a feeling he can’t shake off. Worst of all, he doesn’t know why, and he has a feeling that a quick search on Google won’t give him the answer he’s looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in two days, Poggers! Not wanting to hit a writer's block, I decided to go ahead and write this as it came to mind. The development is starting, you guys. Let me what you think; comments and kudos are always encouraged, and I can't wait to see you guys in the next chapter. Thank you!


	7. A Morning's Ambush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // None
> 
> This piece was inspired by reidingrainbow's "Not in Love". Please show her own work some love - as this piece would not exist if it weren't for her's!

That night Karl could barely sleep.

After a hasty shower and a record breaking time for the quickest he’s ever completed his nightly routine, Karl was eager to jump into bed and snooze the night away. However, that was deemed to not be the case.

Each time he closed his eyes, a reel of the dinner would play. Every attempt welcomed a new portion of the night; like episodes of a tv show. Karl spent a great amount of time just tossing and turning, trying to find some sort of comfort.

No matter how he laid on the bed -- on his stomach, his side, even moving the pillows to the foot of the mattress-- he was constantly interrupted by that certain brunette from hours earlier. It wasn’t as if he didn’t _try_ to get the boy off his mind. He eventually gave up on sleeping, and he decided to make himself useful. 

Karl figured cleaning his room would help him. He picked up crumpled up pieces of paper he missed by the trashcan and even wiped down his window and mirror. When it came to folding and putting away clothes, however, he was met with the reminder of the blasted sweater sitting idly in the passenger seat of his car. He refused to bring it into his room again, but even when it was outside his home, it still found its way back into Karl’s mind.

Not wanting to think about the sweater, he quickly decided to complete homework he set out to do Sunday. Thumbing through his planner, he decides to work on calculus. His calculus class required a few textbook homework pages be done. It worked for a while, getting lost in his TI-84, graphing absurd equations; but it wasn’t enough. He knew that, though.

Karl just met the boy last week, yet he was running laps in his mind. He scored touchdowns whenever he pleased, successfully getting Karl to break the lead on his pencil one too many times. He dropped his forehead onto the table, resulting in a nice thud. Not even the solace of homework could keep him distracted; that was a first.

So he shoved his homework aside on his desk and pushed himself away from his desk on his rolly chair. Leaning back for a moment, he propels himself forward onto his feet. From there, he flopped onto his bed.

Karl stared at the ceiling fan above. It spun effortlessly, taunting him. There was no use trying to distract himself when everything brought him back to the root of his inability to sleep. 

He only wanted to know why. Why… him? Why did Sapnap make him feel this way? Karl had whiplash: one minute he’s on the top of a roller coaster in the clouds, and the next, he’s hurled miles into the earth. 

It wasn’t even Sapnap’s fault. For all Karl knows, the boy could’ve just been trying to be nice; he was getting to know Karl for Dream’s sake. That’s what Karl wanted to do anyways, to get to know Dream for George’s sake, but alas, look where that got him.

He didn’t know what to make of it. 

A few moments pass by as though he were waiting for someone to answer his thoughts for him. The ticks of the clock above his door filled the room, and on it displayed that it was three in the morning already.

A yawn followed as the next minute struck, almost as if it were on cue. Thankfully, Karl’s system started to settle in for the night. Finally too, because who knew what conclusion he would come to on his own. 

He just needed more time to think about it, that’s all. 

Karl wakes up with a jolt. It isn’t his alarm he’s waking up to, but instead a Facetime call from none other than his best friend, George. 

He lets the phone ring on for a few more seconds before groaning and groggily picking it up.

“There we go- Karl, open the damn door, it’s freezing out here!” 

George is in frame, and behind him is Niki, who’s waving her hand frantically as to say, ‘rise and shine’. They’re both wearing jackets, and Karl immediately recognizes the one George is wearing as Dream’s letterman. What was it with boys granting other’s their clothing?

It takes all of Karl to not hang up and go back to bed, but upon seeing Niki for the first time since Friday, he decides to agree to the sudden intrusion. Of course he wants to see George too, just not first thing in the morning. Karl hoists himself out of bed and travels downstairs to open the front door.

“You know there’s a key in the flower pot,” Karl says after swinging the door open. 

George nods, “We know,” he steps inside, “Niki insisted we not break and enter.” 

Niki does the same, except she wipes the bottom of her shoes on the floor mat before coming in. Of course she would be the one to stop George from committing a felony.

“Well, thank you,” Karl closes the door behind them and shivers. The cold wind from outside has welcomed itself in the Jacobs’ home.

It was odd to see them so early in the day; even if it was eleven in the morning -- which was far too late for Karl to sleep in till -- they never bothered showing up unannounced before noon.

“Sorry, for waking you up, by the way,” George apologizes, but then quickly returns to what they came here for, “but desperate times call for desperate measures.” 

Karl furrowed his eyebrows. What did they need to tell him that warranted a morning ambush?

He’s standing in the stairway when George gestures him to go up. Oftentimes, the two of them would stop by the living room or kitchen to greet his mother. Karl guesses they knew she wasn’t home as they were eager to enter his bedroom.

The three of them climb up the staircase and take the right, swinging into Karl’s room. His room was the same as it was the night before: folded clothes on his drawer and calculus homework strewn to the corner of his desk. 

George takes the desk chair in the center of the room, doing a quick spin before leaning back. Out of all places in Karl’s room, George preferred the spinny, squeaky, desk chair. It was his favorite.

Niki sat on the edge of the bed with one leg crossed over the other. She, unlike George, did not have a tendency to return to the same spot each visit.

Karl’s the last to make it to their triangle, choosing the head of his bed. He’s still confused about the urgency to meet, but he chooses not to question it entirely. He assumes George will explain how his night went and then they all make a collective decision as to what the next move is. 

And Karl was correct, kind of.

“As we know, Dream and I went on our date last night.” George states, his leg now bouncing.

This feels like a briefing of a court case almost, perhaps a council meeting. Karl shares a look with Niki before collectively nodding. This information wasn’t new, especially to Karl, who was personally there less than twelve hours ago. 

“And…” George places his hands on his knees, “ _we_ know how much we really like him.” 

We. 

Karl forgets George’s love life is a collective effort from all parties. Not that Karl minded, in fact, it provided more a safety net being able to screen the boy his best friend was interested in.

George looks like he could hardly contain himself. Karl had a feeling that something good happened, perhaps an invitation to another date or the offer to hold his hand.

Niki was on edge as well. The calmness of George’s voice contradicted the excitement radiating off of his body. There was a growing smile on his face, and as much as he wanted to make the announcement suspenseful, George was way too ecstatic to dramatize it.

George -- quite literally jumping out of his seat -- blurted, “He kissed me! He kissed me in his broken Jeep in front of my house!”

It was only appropriate to celebrate the matter by joining him on his feet. Niki locked her fingers in with his and bounced with George, and Karl expressed himself through a tight hug to the both of them.

The three of them cheered loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear. If Karl’s mother was home, she surely would have busted in the room to hear the good news too. She would also commemorate this time with them.

For a moment, they were just three teens, on a Sunday morning, celebrating a first kiss.

It takes them a few minutes to calm down and to finally understand each other’s screaming. George is wiping his eyes from the tears threatening to spill over in excitement, and Niki is exasperated, catching her breath from all the yelling. Karl’s feeling his cheeks, his cold hands melting the heat brazing his skin.

“Wait, wait,” Niki says, taking a deep breath, “are you guys like a- like a thing now?” 

Karl wanted to know too. What warranted a level up from the talking phase to the dating phase?

George shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, “I have no idea. If anything, I’ve got to meet his parents first, I mean, he’s got a sister I gotta please.” 

That was fair. Karl didn’t know Dream had a sister.

“I just can’t believe he kissed me.” He says again, as if hearing it would make it more real.

They’re all smiling and all giddy-like. It was true, all three of them would be invested into the relationship even if two of them weren’t directly involved.

“Wait, wait,” Niki starts, “you didn’t tell us how the dinner went.”

Karl didn’t even realize that they didn’t even hear about how dinner went. He assumes it went well in regards to the reward of a kiss at the end.

George’s got this ‘oh’ shape on his mouth, realizing that he had told them the punchline before the set up.

“Right, right. Where do I start?” He thinks, taking a seat and begins his story of the night before.

According to George, and closely aligned to Karl’s previous assumption, dinner went wonderfully. Dream was the boy they all wished for him to be: he opened the door for George, pulled out his chair for him, and even complimented on his fit for the evening. It was the textbook definition of a pure gentlemen.

George explained how they went about dinner as they did in normal conversation; nothing was forced, and it was all natural. George found out about Dream’s home life, where he has two sisters, one older and one younger, as well as a younger brother. The four of them lived with their parents in the Meadows, an upper-middle class estate located near the school. 

He also discovered that Dream and Sapnap truly were best friends since birth. They did nearly everything together growing up. This included daycare for tots, joining the computer science club in middle school, and of course, high school football. George noted that Sapnap practically lived in Dream’s house with a blow-up mattress dedicated to him on standby in the corner of Dream’s room.

Towards the end of their dinner, Dream offered to pay, and in contrast to how that scenario went down with Karl and Sapnap, George utterly refused and made sure that they were to split the bill. How he did it, Karl won’t know, as he was shut down and pulled for a spin with Sapnap’s comment insinuating that there would be another time in which they had dinner together.

Apparently, George hadn’t noticed Karl in the restaurant. Claiming to have been infatuated by Dream’s presence, he assumed Karl had stuck to his promise and had kept a close eye on the two of them. Part of Karl was glad George hadn’t seen him, only because he knew he would get teased about having dinner with Sapnap.

Afterwards, Dream drove him home, and upon leaving, quoted exactly from George, “Dream wiped an eyelash from my cheek, and then we were kissing.” Karl didn’t know to take a mental note of such a situation or not, but it seemed somewhat important.

“Then, he let me leave his car after I promised to ask you guys about wanting a get-together,” George concluded.

Niki and Karl shared another look. Of course they were to still be involved, and rightfully so, they needed to witness a first hand account of how romantic George says he is.

George continued, “So… Dream was wondering if we all wanted to hang out one weekend. To get to know each other a little better.” 

Karl wasn’t opposed to the idea, no, but he doesn’t find being a third wheel again appeasing.

“Before you say anything, it'll just be us, him, Sapnap, and maybe his other friend, Punz. Besides, he really, _really_ , wants to know you guys.” he furthers his statement.

Perhaps a get-together would do them all some good. If this was going to be serious, they were bound to hang out eventually. Karl knew that George wasn’t the type to ditch his friends for a new guy, and the fact that he had invited them to each interaction with Dream outside of school shows that this wouldn’t be a worry for Karl or Niki.

Niki’s the first to respond, “I mean, if he _really_ wants to get to know us, then I guess we really want to get to know him,” she says playfully.

Karl agrees, “Just,” he pauses, “let us know when so I can write it in my planner.” 

George nods with a smile, “Definitely,” he lets out what registered as a squeal, “I feel like I’m on a cloud.”

“You look like you’re on a cloud,” Niki comments as she swings by him to ruffle his hair. 

They spent the rest of that day together, just conversing as per usual.

Karl worked on the rest of his calculus homework as well as an essay for his literature class as they spoke. He was a pretty decent multi-tasker, only when he wasn’t too distracted though. As chaotic as the three of them could be, Karl believed they’ve gone through the burst of energy part of their visit already. He was halfway through his calculus homework when George asked about how Niki’s trip went this weekend.

She explained that her father’s car broke down on the interstate and she had to swing by to help him out. No one was hurt or anything, it was just that her family only owned two cars, one of which Niki used regularly.

She didn’t say much about the actual trip itself since, according to her, she didn’t want to bore the two of them with the details. Karl and George didn’t push it, and instead switched the topic to complaining about their own classes.

Eventually, though, they all migrated to the kitchen. Since Karl had woken up rather late, there was no use in making breakfast, so he prepared a few snacks for the three of them. 

Food at the Jacob’s was always nice. No one ever left hungry or dissatisfied with their meal; his mother and Karl himself made sure of it.

He pulled out some leftover brie and placed it in a bowl to heat up in the oven. While that warmed up, he grabbed jam from the fridge and crackers from the pantry.

George and Niki had been over enough times to become accustomed to where everything was, thus, by the time they turned around, they had grabbed plates and cups and set them up on the counter. George weaved behind Karl and snatched the pitcher of iced tea in the fridge before making it back in front of him at the counter.

“You never fail to amaze me, Mr. Karl Jacobs,” George said, pouring himself a glass and offering some to Niki and Karl.

He shakes his head and smiles whilst cutting up some pepperoni, “You could eat good too if you learned how to make something other than kraft mac’n cheese,” he teases.

He shrugs pouring Niki a cup, “Kraft mac’n cheese never did anyone dirty.”

From there they ate together in a comfortable silence, all too busy scarfing down the first meal of the day.

It wasn’t long until Karl’s mother came home. As always, she offered George and Niki to stay for dinner, but they politely excused themselves and figured it was time to return back to their homes having spent over five hours at the Jacobs’ residence. 

Karl couldn’t believe the day had gone by so fast. He felt like he was still waking up from this morning.

After some small talk with his mother, mostly just asking how the shift at the hospital was like and receiving a quick story on how she had to yank a frog from someone’s throat, both George and Niki shouted a thank you and left.

“Didn’t know they were coming over,” his mom said before lathering some brie on a cracker. It had gone a bit cold now.

Karl shrugged and leaned against the counter, “I didn’t know either until they woke me up this morning.”

She hummed in approval before wiping her fingers on a napkin. 

His mom was still in her burgundy nurse scrubs and hospital grade shoes. Her hair was tied back in a slick ponytail and wore a tired expression on her face. He offers to make dinner tonight, but his mother waves her hands as to say no.

Having been a long day at work, and Karl still having to complete his essay, they both agree on pizza for dinner. His mother orders half veggie and half cheese for the both of them.

Overall, though, the day had gone more well than Karl could have ever planned it to be. He did notice, however, that this week had brought more surprises and changes in plan than any week ever. For someone who insisted on planning up to the exact minute, he’s surprised he hadn’t combusted yet from spontaneity.

With that in mind, he realized that he was still to attend the football game again this Friday. Karl didn’t have to, per say, but something compelled him to do so. He wants to say that it’s to support George and his conquest for Dream’s undenying love and affection, but truth be told, another reason crept up his spine.

Sapnap had already decided for him a few days ago to come again, and as silly as it sounds, Karl wanted to go on his own accord. His own accord just so happened to match Sapnap’s as well, he supposes.

Karl figures that by the time next Friday comes around, he’ll have a better understanding of what this whole thing was. This… feeling. 

He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First thing's first: Thank you.
> 
> Thank you so much to those who are still reading, who have begun to read, and especially those who encourage others to read this piece. I saw on my FYP on Tik Tok this work being recommended, and that blew my mind! I appreciate those who are sharing this online. The support is absolutely overwhelming! Especially, the comments. I try to reply to every comment left here, because as you guys take the time to leave wonderful messages, as will I in replying.
> 
> Again, thank you, and I hope to update sooner. Feel free to drop a kudos, and I will see you all again in the next chapter :)


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